May 08, 2008

Congrats to Leslie Marquard and Catalyst Ranch on leading the piece. Thanks for bringing "right-brained thinking" to a "left-brained" world. (Actually, working in creative environments and using multiple learning modalities inspires whole-brain thinking.)

Steve Kagan for The New York Times
By ELAINE GLUSAC | Published: April 30, 2008

WHEN Leslie Marquard, an executive coach, holds strategy sessions for consulting firms or university administrators, she ushers her buttoned-up clientele into rooms full of Pogo sticks, ethnic art, hammocks, vintage furniture and a pillow “harem.”

“They are surprised and also endeared by it,” said Ms. Marquard, a co-founder of Marble Leadership Partners in Chicago. The “it” she referred to is Catalyst Ranch, an independent alternative meeting space in a former sausage factory near the Loop in Chicago. “They’ll say, ‘That table looks just like one I grew up with.’ It subconsciously releases the mind.”

April 23, 2008

The Point brings together problems, people, and the pressure of collective action. The site allows users to create campaigns and encourage other people to join anonymously.

Using the principles of Gladwell's Tipping Point, once the number of members reaches a certain critical mass (10, 50, 2000) and action is triggered: a sale, a press release, a protest.

Campaigns are tools for people to organize a group action that occurs only when enough people join to make participation worthwhile. Campaigns can be used for any situation where people want safety in numbers, from planning a party to boycotting a corporation to saving chickens.

Check out the simple, clever animations used to demonstrate the types of people, the problems they want to tackle, and the resulting campaigns--that can use The Point to catalyze change.

March 21, 2007

Ever wish that you could reverse the unrelenting hands of time and take back something you said that really hurt someone's feelings?

Perhaps you find yourself yearning to react a bit more professionally and less emotionally in tense situations at work?

Or you may simply want to strangle someone over a stray comment or sideways glance?

Well then, if you are searching to become master of your emotions, start with this insightful article from the Neuland monthly newsletter, written by Steve Davis, master facilitator (and Chuck Norris look-alike!).

What are emotions and what is emotional mastery?Emotions are often described as energy in motion. They become problems only when we judge them as wrong, bad, or inappropriate. When we let our emotions run us, we miss the message that they carry. When we repress them for fear of what they might cause us to do, they simply lie in wait to emerge with a vengeance later on. Emotional mastery is the ability to process our emotions so that we receive their message and use their energy for appropriate action. Read Full article>>

March 07, 2005

In the Fall of 2003, after fires destroyed 75% of the homes in their valley, Joe and Rita Sterling's converted barn became the epicenter for disaster recovery.

In a FEMA, the US Marine Corps and dozens of volunteer and church organizations descended upon their property to organize the distribution of food, clothing, water and grief counseling.

Following the fires, there were several secondary crises that rocked the valley: looting, , insurance hassles, post-traumatic stress disorder and the stress of navigating good old fashioned red tape.

Fortunately, the Sterlings were both experienced facilitators and strategists; they fell naturally into the role of coordinators for the recovery effort, and used their talents, tools and specialized environment to mitigate the chaos of disaster recovery.